What do you get when
you combine technology
and a love of Minecraft
with students?
Colin Pattison, Grade 7
teacher at Indian Creek
Public School in Chatham,
got his students and fellow teachers involved in
the Microsoft Canada 150
project “Explore. Teach.
Build. Challenge.” using
Minecraft Education Edition and Sway, winning
first place for elementary
students across Canada.
In a special presentation at the school recently, representatives from
Microsoft were on hand
to award a prize pack of
28 HP Pro-G3 laptops,
the latest device built for
classrooms and educa-

tional game play like Minecraft.
Cameron Smith and
Christine Diadamo, members of the Microsoft education team, praised the
entry from the school, and
said they had never seen
the level of collaboration
in a school as they did at
Indian Creek.
“Usually you will see
two or three students
working on a project like
this, but here, all the intermediate students were
involved,” Diadamo said.
“It was amazing what
this school put together
and showcases the power
of what you can do with
technology.”
For this project, Intermediate students from
Indian Creek Road Public
School faced a tough task.

Continued on page 2

Sisters
select
new
leaders
By Bruce Corcoran
bruce@chathamvoice.com

Bruce Corcoran/The Chatham Voice

Back row, sisters Theresa Campeau and Noreen Allossery-Walsh; front row, Sheila
McKinley and Pauline Maheux are the new leaders of the Ursuline Sisters. The order held
a general meeting last week and selected these sisters to lead.

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Indian Creek school
students win top prize
in Microsoft’s
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mary@chathamvoice.com

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The Ursuline Sisters
gathered from June 11-16
in Chatham, and selected
new leadership.
Sister Theresa Campeau
was named community leader, while sisters
Noreen Allossery-Walsh,
Pauline Maheux and Sheila McKinley were also
named to the leadership
group.
The gathering was the
sisters’ 22nd General
Chapter, an event that
takes place every four
years.
This year’s theme was
“Celebrate,
Flourish,
Now.”
There are still 71 sisters
in the Ursuline Sisters, according to Sister Eleanor
Gleeson, 45 of which live
in Villa Angela in Chatham.
Many of the ministries
of the sisters involve assisting the poor, seeking
justice, addressing environmental issues, aiding
women’s groups, paying
and volunteering for various needs.
Gleeson said once a sister, always a sister when it
comes to the order.
“They never really retire.
They’re always doing volunteer work,” she said.

THE CHATHAM VOICE

PAGE 2

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

News

Students focus on
Indigenous peoples’
contributions to Canada
Continued from page 1

They were asked to design, build and recreate
significant
experiences
that had an impact on
Canada’s transition toward independence. The
students went on a virtual tour of some of Canada’s Heritage sites using
Skype and then were given digital lesson plans to
work to build their favourite site using Minecraft
education edition.
At Indian Creek, the
project was titled “An Exploration of Indigenous
Contributions to Canada’s Independence.”
Pattison, the driving
force behind the project,
said about 100 students
were involved and spent
two months on the project.
One Grade 8 student,
Braden St. Pierre said he
worked on the Hudson
Bay Company part of the
project, focusing on the

fur trade.
“We made a village like
back in that time near
the water and made old
canoes and a river. We
even made a fireplace
but weren’t sure at first
how to do it, then we decided to use bedrock and
torched it to look real,” St.
Pierre said. “It was a lot
of fun.”
“Technology allows you
to do things you couldn’t
do before. I’m always
looking for ways to make
content not only more
engaging but get them
to realize there is a bigger picture. You can do
great work, be innovative
and demonstrate your
thinking and at the same
time do something great
for your school,” Pattison said. “The quality of
work these students were
able to pull together was
amazing, but the second
part is now all these kids
can say they contributed

something to their school
that other kids are going
to benefit from for years
to come.”
For the inspiration behind the project, Pattison
said there were several
events and news pieces
in the media that contributed to choosing the
topic of Indigenous contributions and alliances,
in particular, the Secret
Path, a project developed by Gord Downey
of The Tragically Hip.
Trudy Whiteye coming is
as a guest speaker at the
school to speak on Indigenous connections and
relationships impacted
the decision as well.
“I don’t think what we
did even scratches the
surface on what can be
talked about in terms of
the contributions that
people had to this country
but we had a huge group
of kids that were fully engaged in what they were

Mary Beth Corcoran/The Chatham Voice

Indian Creek Public School student Braden St. Pierre, who was part of the winning Microsoft
project, showcases one of the 28 HP Pro-G3 laptops that are a part of the winning prize pack
given to the school.

doing and I think have a

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lot better perspective on
the kind of one-sidedness
that took place in early
Canada and that’s not a
fantastic part of our history, but ultimately a fact
we have to deal with and
we have to learn from,”
Pattison explained.
In the Takeaway part of
the project that outlines
what the students ultimately learned, they had
this to say:
“When we talk about history, it’s important to recognize the mosaic of culture
and experience that Canada

Bruce Corcoran
General Manager- Ext.227
bruce@chathamvoice.com

Mary Beth Corcoran
Editor - Ext.221
mary@chathamvoice.com

Darlene Smith
Sales - Ext.225
darlene@chathamvoice.com

Jeanine Foulon
Sales
jeanine@chathamvoice.com

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THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

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PAGE 3

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The Sons
are open
Craft brewery holds
opening weekend in
downtown Chatham

took many months of
renovations before the
craft brewery and tasting
After months of hard lounge was ready to be
work, the Sons of Kent opened to the public.
Local MP Dave Van Kesheld the grand opening
of their craft brewery in teren said the brewery has
downtown Chatham on generated a great deal of
excitement in the commuthe weekend.
Patrons lined up out nity.
“This is something we
the door on Friday night
from the King Street East have all been looking forlocation as Superfly per- ward to,” he said.
Chatham-Kent
Essex
formed inside and nine
MPP Rick
different
Nicholls,
local brews “A lot of support from
also on hand
– all Sons
a lot of local contracfor the ribof
Kent
bon cutting,
p r o d u c t s tors made this possicredited the
–
flowed ble. We’re happy to
partners
from
the transform this building
with thinktaps.
into something aweing big.
At
the
“It’s a risk,
S a t u r d a y some.”
but
when
ribbon cut- - Alf Hunter
I look at
ting, family, friends, and thirsty what they’ve done, it’s
patrons showed up to a job well done,” he said
sample the product and of converting the former
celebrate the efforts of movie theatre into a craft
the four men behind the brewery.
Alf Hunter said the transbrewery – Doug and Alf
Hunter, Tim Copeland formation wasn’t easy.
“We’ve been waiting for
and Colin Chrysler.
The Sons of Kent are this day for months,” he
located in the former said of Saturday’s opening
Cinema Six building. It event. “A lot of support

By Bruce Corcoran
bruce@chathamvoice.com

Bruce Corcoran/The Chatham Voice

From left, Sons of Kent owners Colin Chrysler, Doug and Alf Hunter and Tim Copeland celebrate the official opening of their
King Street West craft brewery Saturday.

from a lot of local contractors made this possible.
We’re happy to transform
this building into something awesome.”
All four owners are natives of Chatham-Kent,
and all four left the community for a number of
years before connecting
and coming home. That
alone had South Kent
Coun. Karen Herman,
representing the municipality, beaming.
“This is the campaign
that Chatham-Kent has
strived to achieve, and

that is to bring our kids
back here,” she said.
Those “kids” have big
plans for making their
brewery a destination location. Chrysler said there
are 20 taps on site, and
their licence only permits
them to pour their own
product.
“We want to have new
beer all the time, and host
some cool bands playing
regularly too,” he said.
The beer hall and tasting
lounge element of Sons
of Kent is only one part
of the business. Chrysler

said the prime focus is
expanded distribution of
the product. Their beer
is already in a number
of restaurants in Chatham-Kent.
“Bars and restaurants
in town came on board,
and the people have been
awesome. The community has been amazing,”
he said. “I’m grateful so
many people want to support us.”
Despite all the hard work
they’ve put in so far, The
Sons of Kent are trying to
keep things light.

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“We’re trying to have
fun. We’re not serious
people,” Chrysler said.
“We take the beer seriously, but not ourselves.”
But they do take being
part of the downtown
business community seriously. Despite being
outside the boundaries of
the Historic Downtown
Chatham BIA, The Sons
of Kent asked to become
members.
“We want to be part of
Third Fridays and other
events run by the BIA,”
Chrysler said.

It’s official - the sign is up and
the committee is gearing for
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Match.
In a public ceremony Thursday, a new sign was unveiled
on Pain Court Line to mark the
spot where a tented city will

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

News

rise in September 2018. North
Kent Coun. Leon Leclair, who
is co-chairing the IPM committee, thanked the members of the
committee and the thousands of
volunteers who will bring the
event to life over the next year.
More than 100,000 people are
expected to visit during the five
days of the Chatham-Kent International Plowing Match and
Mary Beth Corcoran/The Chatham Voice

Host landowners on Pain Court Line for the 2018 International Plowing Match set for September of 2018
gathered at the unveiling of the sign marking the IPM site recently. Pictured from left are Clayton and
Mary Ellen Crow, Lucille and Jean Marie Laprise, Gerard Faubert, Scott and Terry Pritchard with son
Keegan, John Faubert, and Princess of the Furrow Brynn Depencier.

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Rural Expo 2018.
A huge undertaking,
the IPM Executive Committee, comprised of
more than 20 members,
is working in conjunction
with the Ontario Plowmen’s Association and
more than 60 community
committees, and more
volunteers are needed
and welcomed.
The chair of the site
committee, Jean Marie
Laprise with his wife
Lucille, are among eight
landowners providing
use of the site.
“We will do whatever
is necessary to ensure

the success of this event in Pain
Court, which will help to showcase many positive aspects of
Chatham-Kent,” Laprise vowed.
Joining Jean and Lucille Laprise as host landowners are
Scott and Terry Pritchard, Clayton and Mary Ellen Crow, Dave
Sterling, John and Juli Faubert,
Lucien Laprise, the Gebal family, and Gerard Faubert.
The Executive Committee is
grateful for the support demonstrated by the people and farmers of Chatham-Kent, and the
mayor and council of the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. The
committee also joins with Ontario Plowmen’s Association to express gratitude to key sponsors,
namely The Ontario
Mutual
Insurance
Association, Hydro
One, and BMO Bank
of Montreal. The Executive Committee
also recognizes the
contribution of a
growing number of
local sponsors.

Jean Marie and Lucielle Laprise, with the Laprise family,
said they are proud to part of
the preparations for the event.
“I have met very interesting,
knowledgeable and community-minded people and they are
likely to be long-term friends,”
Laprise said. “The individuals
that initiated this enormous
project deserve much credit for
doing so.”
Laprise said construction of
the tented city, expected to be
home to 800-1,000 RVs on serviced lots, is expected to begin
in July 2018. He added this is
an opportunity to educate the
public.
“Many people don’t understand it’s not all feeding chickens, cows and pigs,” Laprise
smiled. “If they don’t learn
something (at the IPM), then
they weren’t looking and listening. There will be food safety
displays, a significant crop display with over 40 varieties of
crops and the role of technology
in agriculture today.”

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Dale said she has lived in
Chatham-Kent her entire
life and loves it here.
“It’s only appropriate to
give back to your community, which is what I try to
do,” she said.
She credited the help of
countless others as well.
“None of us do anything
alone. There is always a
team,” Dale said.
Her fellow nominees
came from across the municipality, from Highgate
to Merlin and from Wallaceburg to Erieau.

STEP

further.
“It’s wonderful to honour those who have made
special contributions. So
many could receive an
award,” he said. “Volunteers make such huge
contributions to our community.”
Rick Nicholls, MPP for
Chatham-Kent
Essex,
agreed.
“Without
volunteers,
many
organizations
would not be able to survive due to funding issues,” he said.

STEP

the Chatham-Kent Health
Alliance, and is involved
in a number of hospital
fundraising initiatives.
Karen Herman, chair of
the Seniors Expo, said the
selection committee has
no easy task.
“When
it
comes down to
the selection, it’s
very difficult for
the committee
to decide. There
are so many deserving candidates,” she said.
“For JoAn, the
different service
clubs and many
clubs she’s been
committed
to
made the difference.”
In terms of the
number of worthy nominees,
local MP Dave
Van
Kesteren
went one step

STEP

Dale volunteers on various organizations, including the Alzheimer Society, Zonta Club, Dickens
Fellowship and Helping
Hands Auxiliary. She is
also a volunteer at the Boutique Grand Gift Shop at

STEP

JoAn Dale topped a list
of three-dozen very caring local people to earn
the 2017 Chatham-Kent
Seniors’
Achievement

Award.
The Chatham woman
was close to tears as she
walked to the stage at the
annual Seniors Information Expo June 16 at the
Blenheim Recreation Centre.

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THE CHATHAM VOICE

PAGE 6

Students
show their
potential
The staff and students at Indian Creek Public
School who won first place in the Microsoft Canada-wide contest need to stand up and take a bow.
Led by teacher Colin Pattison, 100 students took
part in the two-month project using Minecraft Education Edition and digital lesson plans
from Microsoft education programs
to build detailed settlements that
highlighted the contributions of
the Indigenous people to Canada’s
history.
The project checks all the boxes that
engage youth in a fun, positive way not just in Canada’s history, but in how technology and gaming
can be powerful learning tools.
The school is now the proud owner of 28 Pro-G3
laptops donated by HP, which come fully loaded
with Windows 10 and can use the Minecraft Education Edition. Getting that kind of up-to-date hardware is an incredible gift in a climate where schools
are often struggling to keep two computers in a
classroom going.
From intermediate students who entered from
across Canada, Indian Creek came in first and
wowed the Microsoft education team with the
collaboration between teachers and students. If
that doesn’t make you want to bust your buttons
with pride, nothing will. The students’ project will
also be part of Microsoft’s Canada 150 celebration
promotion.
What is even more incredible is the conclusion
students’ reached about the relationship between
early settlers and the Indigenous population. That
part of our past wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t fair and it
doesn’t paint Canada in a good light. The students
don’t hide the struggle and the betrayal because it
is a part of our history, warts and all.
And when our youth can study our past and learn
from the mistakes made in the past, it bodes well
for a better future, better understanding and better
true partnerships.
Congratulations to Pattison, his fellow teachers
and all the students at Indian Creek Public School
who took part in the project. Microsoft gave you
an opportunity and you jumped all over it and
knocked it out of the park. Now you get to reap the
reward.

Letters to the editor policy

The Chatham Voice welcomes letters to the editor.
Our preferred method to receive letters is via e-mail to
bruce@chathamvoice.com (use “Letter” in the subject
line).
You can also drop them off or mail them to us at The
Chatham Voice, 84 Dover St., Unit 2, Chatham, Ont,
N7L 1T1.

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The publisher of this newspaper, CK Media Inc., reserves the right to clarify or refuse any advertisement
based on its sole discretion. The publisher reserves the
right to reject, discontinue or omit any advertisement
without notice or penalty to either party.
Liability for errors or non-insertion is limited to the
amount paid for the cost of space occupied by the
error. Claims of errors must be made prior to the next
publication date.

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

Opinion

RetroFest a boon for Chatham
Sir: Regarding Will
Shepherd’s letter about
RetroFest in your June
15 issue, I would like to
make a few comments.
First of all, RetroFest
has been a long-standing event for the past 17
years. With the efforts
of the Kent Historic
Auto Club (KHAC) and
the Chatham Business
Improvement Area (BIA)
as well as the generous

support of many
sponsors, this
event has attracted
tens of thousands
of people to our
city.
Speaking as a downtown merchant, I can
attest to the fact that not
only is business great
throughout RetroFest, the
new customers we meet
return and see us after
RetroFest. This is good

marketing and promotion for us as
well as Chatham
as a whole.
Speaking as an
owner of a “clinking, clanking relic” that
I have have spent a considerable amount of time,
effort and money in its
restoration, I am appalled
that anyone would refer
to these vehicles as “metallic trash.”

These cars are enjoyed,
viewed and appreciated
by many with fond memories of the past. These
misguided statements are
only indicative of a total
ignorance of what RetroFest is all about. I sincerely hope he does not refer
to our seniors with the
same disrespect.
John Brennan
Simply Shoes

Vintage vehicles part of our heritage
Sir: Re: Response to
Will Shepherd letter,
June 15, “Reader dislikes
RetroFest immensely.”
These automobiles are
part of our downtown
heritage. The clinking,
clanking collections of
ancient metallic trash
called old cars are of
interest to thousands
of people. Yes, there is
some inconvenience for
downtown, but over
10,000 people are out to
see these automobiles.
The best thing to do is

to avoid downtown
for that one-day
auto show. This
event is highly advertised so if you
are not interested,
shop the day before the
show. This is only a oneday show, so we will survive a one day closure of
the street.
As far as moving the
show to a different
location, it will come
with a big price. Who
covers the show, whose
property, and also a high

rate of coverage of
insurance. Let’s
be thankful of
what we have in
Chatham as there
are not a lot of free
outings.
I also lose business because of the auto show,
but I hope my customers
will understand for a
one day show and the
free outing. I hope my
customers would come
back.
People gather, see
friends, eat out and

enjoy the food, games
for children, music for
everyone etc.
I hope you will understand the auto show is
free and a tremendous
amount of work goes
into this event and many
people that can’t afford
to go places can go to
this show and bring
children.
Sir, all the best to you
and enjoy life – it’s great.
B.A. Holland
Chatham

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PAGE 8

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

homes

Volunteer, take part and experience RetroFest
Sir: To Will Shepherd
who wrote his dislike
of RetroFest, recently
published in the June 15
edition of The Chatham
Voice.
What planet are you
from? You missed the
boat entirely. Your dislike
letter certainly leans
toward the fact that you
have never volunteered
anywhere for anything
nor owned a classic
antique car. This is my
response.
My husband Len and
all the members of the
Kent Historic Auto Club,
in conjunction with the
Historic Chatham Downtown BIA staff, have for
the past 17 years volunteered to plan, organize,
implement and deliver
most aspects of RetroFest; from the Friday
night cruise – leaving
the Bradley Centre and
touring the countryside
and then into the downtown – to the following
Saturday RetroFest Car
Show downtown. That
goes along with the 14
years prior to that being
involved in the Festival
of Nations.
It’s labeled “volunteer-

ism.” Being involved and
contributing your time
and energy to give back
to the community we live
in.
Multiple pre-event
meetings, partnered with
downtown BIA members,
the Chatham-Kent police
and KHAC club members eventually achieve
tremendous productivity
every year to present
a jam-packed, admission-free, family-oriented
event downtown and in
the adjacent park.
FYI, Will, we had more
than 400 antique cars
participate at the Friday
night cruise this year that
travelled downtown to
the viewing delight of
participating crowds. Car
enthusiasts that came
for the whole weekend
hailed, not only from our
own Chatham-Kent area
but also from Windsor,
Cottam, Michigan, Sarnia, London, Peterborough and 600 miles away
from North Carolina.
Their presence all weekend benefitted our local
economy in hotel/motel
occupancy, downtown
businesses and restaurant sales, etc.

Over 600 cars registered on Saturday,
with all owners
voicing high
praise, amazement
and appreciation
for C-K efforts and presentation of the day.
Will, displaying these
beautiful vehicles is what
draws crowds of people
downtown every year.
Owners of our so-called
“clinking, clanking,
collections of ancient
metallic trash” called
old cars take extreme
pride in ownership, in
authentic restoration and
in supporting the preservation of the antique car
hobby.
In case you aren’t
aware, the caliber of
these “relics of by-gone
days” are not manufactured anymore.
I offer several solutions
to remedy your disgruntledness and dislikes:
First, do not demean the
efforts and dedication
of all those volunteers
who help make this even
happen every year.
Second, respect the hobby choice of participating
vehicle owners.
Third, visit the library

and educate yourself
about the history
of these ancient
metallic trash
vehicles. We’re
never too old to
learn new things.
Fourth, bottle your
vinegar, sarcasm and
negativity and see who
would buy it.
Fifth, stay at home that
day next year and do
your shopping and banking another day.
Sixth, take a “happy
pill” – no take two as
you seem to need more

then one, and volunteer
your services, if they’ll
even accept it, to the BIA
next year for RetroFest
2018. Who knows, it may
even change your whole
attitude.
Will, stop, admire and
appreciate the roses.
Life passes us by very
quickly. Your RetroFest
inconvenience for one
day a year are generally
tolerable – the spin-off
rewards are advantageous.
There is an old saying
– If you build it they

will come. Our Chatham-Kent yearly RetrofFest reputation precedes
us, and as long as we
can, we will continue, as
a team, to improve and
build. Weather permitting THEY will continue
to come.
To all the volunteers
everywhere and to event
supporters, we thank
you! Job well done, past,
present and hopefully in
the future.
MaryAn Langlois
Chatham

Cell:

Patti

Business:

Sales Rep

519-355-6800 Vermeersch

Peifer Realty Inc.

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First time offerd, this 3 + 1 bedroom home was
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Just like a new house and comes with a
spectacular shop. This package is ideal if you
like the outdoors and need to store your toys
but need a nice home for the family. Updates
everywhere including the master with en-suite
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Nice package for someone. $289,000.

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1000 sq. feet on perhaps the busiest street in
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THE CHATHAM VOICE

PAGE 10

CHATHAM
OFFICE

34 Raleigh St.

Peifer Realty Inc.
BROKERAGE
INDEPENDENTLY OWNED AND OPERATED

519-354-5470
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OFFICE
42 Talbot St. W.

519-676-5444

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

THE CHATHAM VOICE

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

VISIT OUR BLOG! Stay up-to-date on home ownership.

www.royallepagechathamkent.com

Chatham-Kent MLS Sold Ends - First Five Months of 2017.
We sell more houses than any other office in Chatham-Kent.
Royal LePage Peifer has 40.7% of the Y-T-D market share
of the combined top 5 brokerages in Chatham-Kent.
Source: MLS Data, Chatham-Kent Real Estate Board, June 2, 2017.

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current Retro Suites.
According to Peter Martin,
manager of programming and
The man behind the scenes at community relations, the segChatham’s CogecoTV is taking ment was chosen from among
a turn in the spotlight as a fi- 18 Ontario CogecoTV stations
nalist for the annual CogecoTV for special recognition at the
June 21 awards ceremony,
Star Awards.
CogecoTV Chatham Producer, which was to be televised live
Erik Shaw has been selected as Wednesday from Kingston.
Shaw’s segment, which feaa finalist in the annual awards
for his short documentary on tures Chatham-Kent Musethe former Merrill Hotel and um education co-ordinator
Deanna Bullard, and Retro
Suites manager Pete Tsiyou grow it . . . we mow it!
rimbis was aired as part of
Cutting • Trimming
the CogecoTV Ontario proSeniors
Call Mario 519-809-0477 gram Main Street June 4.
Discount
or Kristen 519-437-8514
The program takes a look at
heritage buildings on main

streets across Ontario, and
Shaw said anyone who missed
can look for it to be re-broadcast over the next weeks and
on YouTube.
Shaw, who moved to the Chatham area when he was young,
attended Fanshawe College in
London for a broadcasting film
course.
“I loved Fanshawe and the
hands-on training I got there,”
Shaw said of his college experience. “I did a co-op placement
here with Pete Martin that was
great, and thought it would be
really great to come back here.”
After Fanshawe, however,
Shaw took advantage of an opportunity to see the world in a
“floating hotel,” taking
a job with a cruise line
producing shows. He
ended up at Cogeco Sarnia until he was selected
for the position of staff
producer in Chatham.
The idea for the documentary for the Main
Street segment was born
from an interest Shaw
had in Chatham’s King
Street and what it used
to look like, with help
from Bullard and Tsirimbis to flesh out the
details and do the filming.
“Bullard
partnered
with me to look into
the old Merrill. A lot
of people don’t know
it was once a grocery
store and butcher shop,”
Shaw said. “It was really
Your entry door is everyone’s first impression of your home.
cool to sit down and see
what King Street looked
North Star can help you make it a lasting one.
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North Star offers a full-line of high quality steel and fibreglass doors
it changed. It went from
wood to brick, from
with numerous glass options and colour choices to help compliment
the style of your home. North Star Entry Doors make the first
impression of your home a memorable one.

By Mary Beth Corcoran
mary@chathamvoice.com

MK LAWNCARE

FIRST IMPRESSIONS

LAST FOREVER

Contributed image

CogecoTV’s Erik Shaw is a finalist for the company’s annual CogecoTV
Star Awards.

horse and buggy to car. Look
at the old CPR hotel railway;
Chatham was a trading mecca
in the 1800s.”
Shaw added that the new Sons
of Kent craft brewery in the
old Cinema Six building used
some of the old wood from Retro Suites renovations in their
building, and Retro Suites recovered and repurposed some
of the wood they exposed.
The King Street/William
Street area shows the history
of Chatham and what it is all
about, which came through
in Shaw’s documentary, and
earned him a finalist position
for the Star Awards.
“The Star Awards are yearly awards that are given out
Cogeco; it’s like the Oscars of
CogecoTV,” Shaw joked. “There
are so many productions we
do and there is so much talent
out there, I was surprised mine
was chosen in the top three of
18 stations. There is a lot talent
in Ontario and they picked a
small little hotel still standing
in Chatham.”
“They picked mine. It is nice
to be recognized and I’m proud
to be chosen, but I couldn’t do

it without all the inspiration I
get here.”
Throughout the year, the producers have a busy schedule,
but Shaw said it does slow
down a bit over the summer,
giving him a chance to go into
the community, “shake hands
and talk about what people
want to see.”
“We are working on live
streaming council meetings,
and we work hard every day to
promote our little town,” Shaw
added. “We partner with a lot
of great people; local schools,
football, minor hockey, CK
council, and dived right into
Rotary TV Bingo. We take the
profit and put it right back into
the community.”
The station also goes out into
the community to find local
non-profit organizations to
profile and raise awareness.
“We like to see smiling faces
and with lots of prep work and
planning, we are happy to cover local events.”
Shaw said the station is always
looking for volunteers and
students looking to get co-op
hours. Anyone interested can
go to cogecotv.com/chatham.

Donkeys enjoy their time in a field on Charring Cross Road, south of Chatham recently. The small herd is a unique sight in Chatham-Kent.

Municipality needs
3 building inspectors
The Chatham Voice

Chatham-Kent is looking to
fill building inspector/bylaw
enforcement officer positions
in the municipality.
Paul Lacina, Chief Building
Official of Building Development Services for the municipality, said Chatham-Kent is
in need of three building inspector/bylaw enforcement
officers immediately and is
hosting a job fair to help fill
the need.
“We’ve been fortunate in
that we’ve had some retirees
continue to work for us but
it’s a stopgap solution,” he
said. “We need to take action
right now.”
Lacina said a shortage of

building inspectors exists for inspectors who are alprovince-wide due to the ready qualified through the
natural progression of ba- Ministry of Municipal Affairs
by-boomers leaving the and Housing but is also willworkforce and tighter pro- ing to hire and train the right
vincial regulations.
candidates.
“In 2006 the province reThe job fair will be held on
formed the Ontario Build- July 13 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.
ing Code. The legislation in Council Chambers on the
increased the safety and second floor of the Civic Cenquality of building con- tre at 315 King St. W. in Chastruction in Ontario. One of tham.
the reforms was mandatory
The salary range for qualiBuilding Code knowledge fied inspectors is $61,565 to
examinations for municipal $77,477.
building officials,” he
World’s Finest Ceiling Fans
said. Now with retirements, there is a real
shortage of qualified
building officials
www.fanshoppe.com
Lacina said ideally the
650 Riverview Dr. - entrance off of Bloomfield
municipality is looking

Fan Shoppe
519-351-8432

Chatham-Kent residents can now
keep track of the more than 20 major infrastructure projects being undertaken this year through an interactive municipal webpage.
Adam Sullo, Chatham-Kent’s director of engineering and transportation, said clicking this link www.
chatham-kent.ca/2017construction
opens a map of Chatham-Kent on
which each project is listed. Information includes details of the work,
timing, weekly progress updates
and traffic tips.
“We’re mindful of how projects
can create traffic issues for residents,” he said in a release. “It’s important for us to keep residents informed on why we’ve undertaken
the work, whether we’re on schedule and when things will get back
to normal.”
Chatham-Kent projects alone total
some $60 million.

4th Annual
DESIREE’S RIDE
CHATHAM-KENT RIDE
Motorcycle Ride & Dance
June 24, 2017
Royal Canadian Legion 243
75 Main Street East, Ridgetown
Registration Time: 11:00am
Departure: 1:00pm
Arrival: 3:00pm
Fundraising Motorcycle Ride
In Memory of Desiree Gallagher
This event will be in memory of Desiree Gallagher.
Desiree was brutally assaulted and fell seven stories
from a balcony leaving her blind and in a wheelchair for
2 years. Desiree passed away on May 14, 2015.
Her courage and strength will always be remembered.
All proceeds will be going to the
Chatham Kent Women’s Centre and Victim Services.
Come out and support a very worthy cause!

www.desireesride.com

THE CHATHAM VOICE

PAGE 14

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

Sports

Bass tourney back on
the water July 7, 8
Friday and Saturday.
Beaton said organizers have
put a great deal of effort in the
planning and running of the
It keeps getting bigger and bettournament, as committee spent
ter, and that’s just the way the
two years planning for it before
organizers of the fourth annual
the inaugural Open took place
Mitchell’s Bay Open Bass Tourin 2014.
nament wanted it.
He said new tournaments can
This year’s event takes place
be met with caution by anglers.
July 7 and 8, and five dozen
“It seems everyone is hesitant
boats are expected.
about new tournaments. They
Coming off a solid year in 2016
prefer to fish ones with history
where 41 boats took part, orgaand a good reputation,” he said.
nizing committee member Tom
For Mitchell’s Bay, the Open
Beaton said there are already 50
quickly garnered a good repuregistered for this year’s event.
tation and now is working on
He expects 60 boats to take part.
having some history.
Beaton said tournament
organizers take great
care of the anglers, starting with the prizes.
“We’re not for profit;
No strangers to the awesome
100
per cent of the encustomer service at Chatham
try fee goes back to the
Chrysler, Ron and Tammy
anglers, plus early bird
Haines of Leamington picked
prizes,” he said, adding
up their new 2017 Dodge Ram
the payout is closer to
Black Express 4x4 Quad Cab
120% of the entry money.
truck from Luce Cools. They
That’s possible thanks
are the second generation of
to generous support by
Haines to purchase vehicles
sponsors.
from Luce.
Money made from the
Safe travels Ron and Tammy
tournament through the
and enjoy your new Ram!
sponsors is purposed
towards various Mitch351 Richmond St., Chatham ell’s Bay projects, Beaton
said.
• 519-352-4937 •
“All the monetary support goes directly into
• 519-354-8000 •
tourism enhancements,
habitat and wetland reswww.chathamchrysler.com
toration,” he said.
By Bruce Corcoran
bruce@chathamvoice.com

Not all are hardcore anglers.
“Last year, a gentleman and
his wife came out in a pontoon
boat. You don’t have to have a
high-powered, $100,000 bass
boat,” he said.
The event begins the Thursday
night, July 6, with the anglers’
dinner. Beaton said members of
the farming community donate
to help kick off the tourney with
the meal, which is for the anglers, volunteers and sponsors.
Edward Jones and Excel Realty sponsor this element of the
weekend.
The boats take to the water the

Happy Customers

Chatham

NEW ADDITION

NOW
OPEN!

Chatham Voice file photo

Local residents Rick Damphouse and Todd McBride were $5,000 richer
thanks to their win in the second annual Mitchell’s Bay Open in 2015. Although local anglers have enjoyed a great deal of success at the tourney
over the years, an unprecedented number of out-of-town anglers will take
part this year.

A highlight to the Open weekend is the annual children’s fishing event, where 20 kids head
out fishing on the Saturday
morning, sporting a new rod,
reel and tackle – items they will
take home with them.
Beaton said this year the tournament has teamed up with the
French school board, and next
year will work with the Canadian Tire Jump Start program,
which helps 1.5 million kids in
Canada with funding so they
can stay in various sports.
Kids’ tourney sponsors are
ENGIE Wind and Al’s Lawn
Care. The two companies have
sponsored the event every year
to date.
In terms of prizes,
this is not a winnertake-all tournament.
There’s also a $1,000
price for the biggest
fish, as well as numerous other prizes.
But the overall winning team will take

Don’t miss out,
place a deposit to
hold your suite!

home more than just prize money this year, as Maple City Marine has donated an Evinrude
25 HP boat motor, an additional
$4,000 value, Beaton said.
For anglers running with Triton boats, there are a host of
additional payout opportunities. Finishing first and using a
Triton boat could land a team
as much as $7,000 in additional
prize money, depending on the
model year and engine size.
Beaton said local anglers have
traditionally fared well in the
tournament, with two local
teams winning past events, but
added this year will feature the
largest out-of-town participation to date.
“We’re becoming the premiere
bass tournament in Ontario,” he
said. “They (anglers) are really
impressed with how we run it,
but also with the support behind the tournament. And we
couldn’t do it without the 50
volunteers who help us.”
Continued on page 15

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THE CHATHAM VOICE

THURSDAY, JUNE 22, 2017

Wickett
cool gift

PAGE 15

Life/Sports
Mary Corcoran/Chatham Voice

John Mallory, left, chair of
the Chatham Kent Community Foundation, accepts a
$10,000 donation from Jann
and Jim Wickett to ensure
the Dr. Jack Parry Awards
can fund generations of athletes in Chatham-Kent.

A local couple has taken
steps to ensure the legacy
in honour of Dr. Jack Parry
helps top Chatham-Kent
athletes for generations to
come.
Jim and Jann Wickett
have been sponsoring
the annual Dr. Jack Parry
Awards and have recently established a Donor
Designated Fund with the
Chatham Kent Community Foundation that will
enable this prestigious
award to be granted annually, in perpetuity.
They
have
donated
$10,000 to set up the Jim
and Jann Wickett Dr. Jack
Parry Scholarship Fund
with the goal of continuing to develop this fund
over the coming years to
ensure it will remain well
into the future.

The Dr. Jack Parry
Awards honour the top
female and male graduating student athletes in
Chatham-Kent in terms of
their athletic credentials,
academic success, and
citizenship within their
school and community.
Annually, there are two
winners, each receiving a
$1,000 scholarship.
This year, Brooke MacKinnon and Anthony Atkinson, graduating students from Chatham-Kent
Secondary School and
John McGregor Secondary School respectively,
earned the Parry honours.
The awards have been
given out since 1994 in
memory of Dr. Jack Parry,
the father of Jann Wickett.
Parry was Chatham’s first
certified anaesthesiologist,
a decorated Second World
War veteran, and a very
accomplished athlete.

Beaton added that the
tournament would also
not be a success without
the sponsorship it has received over the years. This
time around, Canadian
Tire in Chatham and Wallaceburg is the top corporate sponsor. Maple City
Marine, CARSTAR London and Excel Realty are
the other diamond-level
sponsors.
There are more than 50
other sponsors that help
make the Open possible.
Beaton said the silent
auction continues to grow.
Included in the variety
of items up for grabs this
year are a Weatherby shotgun, a variety of animal
carvings, and a bicycle.
Items are displayed from
the time of the anglers’
dinner until weigh-in on
Saturday afternoon.
“We encourage every-

body to come down for
the weigh-in and check
out the silent auction. We
had almost 300 people last
year,” Beaton said.
The Mitchell’s Bay Open
is a live release tournament. There are penalties
to teams for dead fish.
There can also be penalties to the tournament if
the fish mortality rate is
too high, Beaton said, as
the pontoon release boat
is licensed under the Ministry of Natural Resources
and its operators report
the mortality rate. If it
exceeds five per cent, the
MNR will investigate.
“We try to make sure the
fish get back in the lake,”
Beaton said. “Our goal is
zero mortality rate. We’ve
been able to accomplish
it.”
For more information,
visit mitchellsbayopen.
com.

• Meat draw and dance at The Chatham Legion,
William & Colborne St., Chatham. Meat draw from
4:00pm-6;00pm, dance from 4:30pm-9:30pm
featuring Allan James.
Sunday, June 25, 2017
• Dawn Valley Super Senior Sundae Sunday at
Dawn Valley United Church, 507 Dawn Valley
Rd, Tupperville at 4:00pm. Entertainment by The
Joymakers. Free will offering. Light lunch to follow
service. Please come join us for fellowship, music
& sundae’s.
Monday, June 26, 2017
• Senior Euchre at The Chatham Legion, William &
Colborne St., Chatham at 1:00pm.
Tuesday, June 27, 2017
• Open euchre and open shuffleboard at The
Chatham Legion, William & Colborne St., Chatham. Open euchre at 1:00pm and shuffleboard at
7:00pm.
Wednesday, June 28, 2017
• Chatham Kent Secondary School 54th Annual
Graduation Ceremony will be held at the Capitol Theatre, 238 King Street West, Chatham at
7:00pm.
• Jeremy Smith will entertain at our Strawberry
Social at 2:00pm at Meadow Park, Sandy St.,
Chatham.
• Pepper and fun darts at The Chatham Legion,
William & Colborne St., Chatham. Pepper at
1:00pm and darts at 7:00pm.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
• Open euchre at The Chatham Legion, William &
Colborne St., Chatham at 1:00pm.
• The Blenheim Harwich Horticultural Society is
holding a 100th Anniversary Celebration at the
Rotary Park in Blenheim at 6:00pm. There will be
cake, live entertainment and our garden experts
will be there should you have any questions!
Friday, June 30, 2017
• Join the Active Lifestyle Centre at 20 Merritt
Ave as they celebrate Canada’s 150th year in
style! 5:00pm-8:00pm visit our multicultural food
tasting, enjoy music, prizes, drinks and fun for the
entire family!
• Meal and Fun darts at The Chatham Legion,
William & Colborne St, Chatham. Dinner from
5:30pm-7:00pm with choice of liver & onions,
roast beef or fish and chips for $9.00. One meat
draw. Fun darts starts at 7:00pm.
PAWR at the animal shelter phone number for lost
and stray pets and issues at the dog parks: 226996-9969 daytime. Emergency and after-hours
number: 519-784-6146. Animal Cruelty and
neglect cases call direct 310-7722 or 310-SPCA.
Chatham-Kent Metal Detecting Club - Meets last
Thursday of the month. 7:00pm. Kinsman Room.
Erickson Arena, new members welcome!
Submit your coming events to
bruce@chathamvoice.com or
michelle@chathamvoice.com

It was great to get a gift on Father’s Day, and have a nice lunch
hand delivered to me by my daughter, but the best thing I received
Sunday was one piece of paper.
Brenna, our 15-year-old daughter,
took the time to write me a note of
how she appreciates all the things
I do for her and the support I give
her.
I constantly worry she’s shifting
away from me. She and her mother have a great relationship and
talk constantly. Mary has a better
window into Brenna’s life in terms
of girl stuff, friendships, interest
in boys, etc. Fortunately, Mary is
a very good journalist, so she is
excellent at relaying information to
me, so I feel like I’m mostly caught
up on all things Brenna.
As a teen, she’s often just hanging out in her room on a device
connecting with friends. Or out
and about with said friends. Daddy-daughter time has been minimalized to some extent. It’s rare
that we do more than get groceries
together, or I drive her and often
her friends to and from some gathering. Even with the latter instance,
Mary seems to be the primary
chauffeur in our household.
So it was quite touching to receive
the note, praising me in a variety of
ways, including allowing Finn the
cat into our lives (I’m quite allergic, and have a short fuse when it
comes to the little fur ball clawing
his way up the furniture, or my
leg).
She even said she thinks my
“corny jokes” – her words – are
funny. Corny? Really? OK, maybe
a little.
Let’s face it; part of a father’s duty
is to crack bad jokes. And since I’m
a fan of puns and slapstick, there
are plenty of corny jokes to go
around every day.
I still cherish my time with the

Bruce Corcoran
kid, even though she’s pressing
more on her boundaries. Brenna’s
a responsible, mature kid, and that
has me too often thinking she’s older than her 15 years. When she slips
up and stays up too late or makes a
less-than-stellar decision, it can be
frustrating as a parent.
But when I step back and look at
the bigger picture, things could be
so much worse. She’s a very good
student and usually does make the
smart choices.
When I think on it, the slip of
paper she gave me wasn’t the best
thing about Fathers’ day. Her being
around was.
And it can sometimes be the little
things that make her stand out. For
instance, a couple of minutes after
midnight, as Saturday transitioned
into Sunday, Brenna popped into
the living room, leaned over and
gave me a kiss, wishing me a happy Fathers’ Day. She also grabbed
the cat and took him away for a
half hour, playing with the little
guy so he’d be more likely to settle
quickly with me as we both take
our respective late night naps in the
love seat.
Yeah, she’s a good kid all right.
Cat-atomic, not catatonic

Speaking of Finn the cat, the
meatball was back at his Jekyll and
Hyde best on the weekend, going
from extremely cute to manic in a
matter of seconds.
Continued on page 17

INFRASTRUCTURE AND ENGINEERING SERVICES
PUBIC
MUNICIPALITY
OFWORKS
CHATHAM-KENT
PUBLIC
NOTICE
OF PESTICIDE
The Municipality of Chatham-Kent
will be holding USE
a

Notice is hereby given that the Municipality of Chatham-Kent intends to apply
PUBLIC INFORMATION CENTRE
ClearView HerbicideRegarding
(Reg.
No.29752)
containing the active ingredients:
the upcoming planned work related to the
Aminopyralid, present as potassium salt and Metsulfuron – methyl, under the
Pesticides Control Products Act (Canada), for the purposes of noxious weed
PARRY BRIDGE 2016 REHABILITATION PROJECT
control, particularly
Canada Thistle and Sow Thistle during the period of
Keil Drive over the Thames River (Community of Chatham)
June 12, 2017 to September 1, 2017 along rural portions of Chatham-Kent’s roads.
The purpose of this Public Information Centre is to inform stakeholders of the scope of work, traffic detour
plan and timing of construction activities associated with the above mentioned project in the Community

Application
of Chatham. will be weather permitting, and confined to weed-infested portions of
the right-of-way.
The meeting will be held on:

ForDATE:
further information,
Thursday, Aprilcontact:
21, 2016

TIME:
– 8:00pm
Steve
Ford 5:00pm
or– Atrium Jerry Corso
LOCATION:
Chatham-Kent Civic Centre
315 King Street West, Chatham
President
Manager, Public Works South
Green
Lawn &Centre
Vegetation
Municipality
of presentation
Chatham-Kent
As thisStream
Public Information
will be an “open house”
format, no formal
will be made.
RepresentativesInc.
from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent,Ph:
along
with the Engineering
Consultant,
will be
Management
519.360.1998
x3970
or
available to review the display boards and respond to any questions posed by stakeholders. Area
Ph:
905.510.1229
residents,
property owners, business operators and those1.800.714.7497
who may have a general interest in this project
are encouraged to attend this meeting.
info@green-stream.ca
ckpw@chatham-kent.ca
If you have any questions, please contact either:
Adam Sullo, P.Eng
Director, Engineering and Transportation
Engineering and Transportation Division
Municipality of Chatham-Kent
315 King Street West, Chatham ON N7M 5K8

He spent a couple of hours
sleeping on Mary’s chest as she
read a book on Sunday, only to
later pounce on her head and
try to bite her scalp.
Finn also thinks of himself as
an interior decorator. We have
a painting over the couch in the
living room, and when the cat
is in full whacko mode, he’ll
get up on the back of the couch
and stare at the painting. If we
don’t distract/discourage him
or get there fast enough, he’ll
take a swat at a corner of the

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painting.
On Sunday morning, I got up
and noticed the painting was
no longer level. After a trip to
the bathroom, I returned to
find it perfectly level.
Hmm, I wonder who was
responsible for knocking it
askew in the first place? As for
leveling it, since no one else
was up in the house at that
point, it also had to be Finn’s
handiwork.
We allow him into the basement now, and it’s a new area
of exploration for him. At
times, he’ll be happy playing
with a wadded up piece of
paper down there. And then
I’ll look up to see the light from
the lamp beside me flickering on the ceiling. I look over
expecting to have to screw in
the light bulb a little tighter,
only to see a bit of dust floating
down off the lampshade and
Finn looking innocently my
way while sitting atop the end

72-MONTH

PURCHASE*

table.
The thing about Finn is he
can’t keep up that innocent
look for very long. He quickly
sprang away to find something
else to satisfy his curiosity,
however briefly.
We bottle up that curiosity
when we’re at work, putting
him in a room that contains his
litter box, bed, food and water.
When Brenna comes home
from school, he is released.
His typical greeting is to

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From slumber to plunder in 0.8 seconds
show a great deal of affection,
purring warmly. And then after
you pick him up and pet him,
he’ll generally chomp down on
a finger. Once deposited back
on the floor, he’ll usually go for
your toes as you walk.
Yes, we’re working on breaking those habits. Day after day.
Looking back, the little guy
has come a long way in a few
short weeks. I expect he’ll calm
down further as he ages, as
well as when he gets snipped...

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new Ford vehicles
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Gerard & Yvonne Laevens
will celebrate their
60th Wedding Anniversary
Sunday, June 25, 2017
at the 11:00am mass
St. Joseph’s Church,
Chatham
where they married
June 20, 1957.
Friends and relatives are invited to attend an
Open House from 2:00-4:30pm
at St. Agnes Church, Grand Ave. W., Chatham.
If considering a gift, supporting Canadian Food
for Children would be most appreciated. Urgently
needed is cooking oil, table salt and bar soap.
Bless you all,
and thank God for all his blessings!
Congrats Mom & Dad!
Love from your family!

Personals

LIVE IN CAREGIVER
WANTED. Duties: light housekeeping, laundry, administer
medication, assist with personal care. Must be able to cook
VEGETARIAN INDIAN CUISINE.
chathamkentseniorshelp@
gmail.com.

2-br apartment. Selkirk
St., Chatham.
Brand new
carpet, freshly
painted. $650/
mth +utilities.
First and last
required. Hot
water included
from landlord.
Entire second
floor of house.
July 1. (519)
350-9338.

Province ponies up the cash for replacement of 5 elementary schools
The Chatham Voice

The Ontario Ministry of
Education has approved
St. Clair Catholic District
School Board’s funding
request for $26.7 million
to build two new Catholic elementary schools in
Chatham.
The funding includes
child-care facilities at
both locations.
“This is a very exciting
and momentous time in
the history of Catholic
education in Chatham,
as we embark on a plan-

ning process, which will
ultimately lead to stateof-the-art facilities for
our Chatham elementary
students,” said Dan Parr,
Director of Education, in
a media release.
“We know that these
new facilities will provide improved educational opportunities for
our Catholic families in
Chatham for many generations to come,” said
John Van Heck, chair of
the board, in a release.
The funding announcement means that two

new Catholic schools
will be built in Chatham
– one on the north side
to replace St. Vincent, St.
Agnes and Our Lady of
Fatima; and one on the
south side, to replace St.
Joseph, St. Ursula and
Georges P. Vanier.
The exact location of the
new schools is still being
finalized and will be announced in the coming
weeks.
In addition, the board
will move forward with
plans to renovate and refurbish the Our Lady of

Fatima site, which will be
the new home of the Chatham French Immersion
program, replacing Monsignor Uyen.
The board hopes all of
this can be accomplished
in time for the start of
school in September 2019.
Parr has also announced
the appointment of Superintendent of Education Deb Crawford, who
led the public accommodation review, to lead
a team of parents and
school staff that will transition students from six

schools to two; and the
Board’s French Immersion students from the
Monsignor Uyen site to
their new home at the
Our Lady of Fatima site.
The board will also work
to transition staff, according to the terms of the
various collective agreements.
More details about both
transition plans will be
announced in the coming
weeks and months, according to board officials.
“I want to acknowledge
again the members of the

Pupil
Accommodation
Review Committee, both
from the school communities and the parishes,
who helped to shape this
vision for the future,”
Parr said. “And I especially want to thank the
staff of the Municipality
of Chatham-Kent, with
whom we have an excellent and co-operative
relationship. Their assistance to us in this project
has been extremely valuable.”

The Helping Hands element of Union Gas, along with Golden Genie retirees had a busy time recently helping members of
the Active Lifestyle Centre construct the mini-golf holes that will be used on June 30 as part of the centre’s Canada 150 celebration. From left, Michelle Rioux, ALC member; Roy Cornell, Helping Hands; Lorne Saunders, ALC member; and Susan
Bientsman, Helping Hands showcase some of their work.

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IT

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519-397-2020
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